triffid

So give us an Answer Einstein, nothing will change. Them funny little Fords will still be overpriced , compared to a Mazda 3. Were in Thailand,not England/ Europe the Home of Free-handouts.Whats the O.P. s point..?.

Let me explain my point - though I think it was clear enough.

There was nowhere in my post a complaint about the tax burden on foreign cars. I made it clear that I was interested in buying a foreign car, named four on my list. and specified which seemed more burdened and which less. I nowhere compared foreign with local cars - in fact no local car was ever on my short list.

I was simply asking if anyone had any/all/most foreign car officially sold in Thailand and noted what percentage difference there was between its thai price and its british price. With such information if I saw that one car on my short list was weighed down by a much higher percentage/premium than another, I would be more disposed to the latter car.

Has anyone done an analysis of how much the thai price is jacked up as against the price in England in percentage terms for imported cars?. (I discount America because for various reasons prices there are exceptionally low).

I recently did a rough calculation for a few cars I was interested in and found that Subaru XV and Skoda Octavia came out well whereas BMW 116 and VW Golf less so.

The BBC has a decent summary of the situation, I'm sure other news sites have, or will have, as well. Better read them quick before they are blocked.

The general is not going to like that article one bit

"The vote... was the kind of rushed acclamation favoured by dictatorships and communist parties of old. In just 15 minutes, 191 out of 194..."

What gets my goat is that since the coup my copy of The Economist has been stopped as often as it's been delivered. This week's has, no doubt next week's will be too. Annoying because I can't get to read the other things in the magazine. Futile because anyone who wants to can read the thai stuff online where they have the key editorial pieces. Idiotic because those in Thaialand who might read the Economist are dyed in the wool junta supporters who know which side their bread's buttered. And anyway the Economist is almost certainly the most widely read publication among the world's political and business leaders - and they aren't being stopped. I suppose dictatorships are seldom capable of thinking anything through.

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I would. I took them a year or so ago BKK-KUL-PAR on an unbelievably good deal.

They were very good and the airport in KL was nice.

Although, If I did take them I'm sure I would be thinking.... thinking...

There is nothing wrong with Malaysian , the problems they have had still doesn't alter the number 1 rule of all airlines, that the safety of the aircraft is not compromised, that then covers passengers

Well the earlier problem may have had something to do with an unbalanced captain - and that says something about vetting cockpit crew. And that is sort of a safety issue.

Although, If I did take them I'm sure I would be thinking.... thinking...

Thats just it mate, I would fly with them I guess but its just the mind games before getting on, I guess what happended was a freak accident but its always the what if.

I am sure they are a good airline especially by what some have said.

Anyway ended up getting a flight with Air India for 235 so went with that instead mainly on price.

Thanks for the replies all appreciated.

How (bad) was the Air India flight? I'm genuinely curious.

Although, If I did take them I'm sure I would be thinking.... thinking...

Thats just it mate, I would fly with them I guess but its just the mind games before getting on, I guess what happended was a freak accident but its always the what if.

I am sure they are a good airline especially by what some have said.

Anyway ended up getting a flight with Air India for 235 so went with that instead mainly on price.

Thanks for the replies all appreciated.

How (bad) was that Air India flight, by the way? I'm not being provocative, am genuinely curious.

Stick with subaru for better parts support and more garages will be able to fix it if you happen to be in Bangkok. Subaru will have a better resale value.

 

If you don't mind waiting for parts, go with what you like. Skoda has some good reputations.

Yes, I'm tending towards the Subaru. Maybe next year one will have a better perspective on the various imported options and which ticks all the boxes.

Thanks, ffrankphuket. We think along some similar lines. 

I want a car that's 4-wheel drive or very well planted on wet roads, even at speed. It should be ok going off road once in a while. It should be comfortable, quiet and brisk in overtaking - for long distance driving. It should be reliable. 

I ruled out the cx4 purely on design grounds -it has a slight wedge profile i.e. a discernible forward leaning slope of the window line - which is apparently a popular design feature but not for me. I'd look very seriously at the new xtrail, but is that imminent, or at least 6 or more months away?

I may well get a second car for mainly town driving - it would ideally be a coupë or 3 door and with reliable service support in Chiangmai - although the bmw 116 which is 5 door looks very acceptable to me, with a good price for what it is, and comes with a 5-yr maintenance package.

Of course if I find a car which is an all-rounder, would do both jobs, and work out cheaper than two cars I'd be very pleased.

The octavia combo tdi is something I'd consider seriously as the all-rounder, but I don't know about its slippery and off-road capabilities.

One advantage of getting the Subaru XV is that it's not that expensive and the brand is likely to become better known and therefore if later on a 4-wheel drive Yeti or something else came along I could sell it with less trouble.

A couple of years ago I was on this forum about the Yeti but after mulling over the potential problems of maintenance etc in Chiangmai, where I live, I decided not to buy it (& took the safe option of a Pajero). But really the Pajero is too big for my needs and I'm thinking of replacing it with either the XV or the Yeti. Both Skoda and Subaru now have spanking new showrooms and are touting their servicing facilities. I'm assuming the dealer back-up in Chiangmai is now ok. Both have decent warranties. Both vehicles are at the same price of 1.4 million. 

The XV's chief advantages seem to be: 4wheel drive, high clearance; its weakness seems to be insufficient torque - overtaking etc.

The Yeti's advantages are its better ride and performance and higher quality interiors.

I might go on soft-roads but very rarely - it's the surer grip etc on wet roads that attracts me about the XV's all wheel drive (I recently suffered a scary skid/accident). But the Yeti's more comfortable and quieter ride over distances, especially with zippier overtaking, seems a big plus. (Looks? I like them both. Re-sale? I don't want to take that into account. Comparable alternatives? I've considered some, e.g. CX5, but I prefer these two.)

Perhaps people here, especially owners, have comments that might help me choose.

When I compare England/Thailand prices for Skoda I find a smaller percentage premium added here than for most other imports. Am I mistaken? And this seems a factor in Skoda's favour.

I purchased an Audi when i came here 6 years ago.
I can promise you that if you want to have lots of problems Then buy an european car, problems with spare parts.
You are better of to purchase an toyota or Honda
I purchased an brand new toyota altis, and THE only problem i had was an new battery after 4 years
JME


Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

Thank you for your response, and I appreciate your sincere advice. I'm guessing your Audi was not a new car.

I too would be wary of buying a european car out of warranty and without a reliable dealer in Chiangmai, hence my query here. 

 

A bit more info re the Skoda on Facebook.

 

 

Jose Carlos Garcia Tapia added 4 photos from 25 January to the album Skoda Octavia 1.8 Turbo Automatic 2001.

I sell my Skoda Octavia 1.8 Turbo Automatic (LPG and gasoline)
This car has the Audi TT engine!
Building year 2001 and just over 100.000 km on the teller.
Very well-maintained inside and outside! License and registration is up to date. radio/cd/mp3.

Price: THB 210,000.- Call: 08 99539716 or email:<deleted>

 

 

Have jus seen this, after my previous reply to your previous post. An audi tt engine!! 2001 body! It looks too complicated for me. I think i'd only want a new, no complications, under warranty car.

There is a guy on SECONDHAND CHIANG MAI Facebook trying to sell a Skoda Octavia, so presumably he will know about servicing etc.

 

His name is

Jose Carlos Garcia Tapia

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the pointer. I sent him a message and am hoping he'll get back to me.

There used to be a joke going around in UK,

"How do you double the value of a Skoda ?,  fill it with petrol.

 

They had a terrible reputation in UK,BUT after VW took them

over,they are now a very good car,and have some decent

models,but maybe they still have the stigma of the early cars.

regards Worgeordie

 

Yes they have a main dealer,i believe its on the Super Highway

side road,just past Makro, going South,left hand side

That one now does only Kia, even though he hasn't yet taken down the signboards showing other names. 

I think in Thailand Skoda may attract ignorance as to their name and therefore difficulty in resale, but I doubt the stigma of old ever got here in the first place.

http://thailand.skoda-auto.com/

 

just as good and cheaper than VW or Audi, both in Europe and here.

All the evidence is that you're right and that's why I want to look into it. I wanted to get the opinion of a Chiangmai Skoda owner about local service and access to parts - and any other feedback he may have.

Does anyone in Chiangmai or nearby have a Skoda? I want info on the viability of owning a Skoda here - service, parts, know-how. Or, if there is a local dealer, his precise location.

Thanks.

^^^ so try the main one on the moat then or perhaps the lecky store opposite and inside moat. Always nice to show some appreciation when folk reply to questions, too

Indeed I should have, and do now thank daamnaam.

I shall look for the shop by computer plaza too.

There's a place at Big C extra on the super highway (Amorn Electronics), on the ground level near the entrance from the under cover car park.

They will do it. They have another branch near computer plaza on the moat.

http://www.amorngroup.com/en/picbranch.php?id=50

Hmmm...I know that place. But the work/repairs etc area behind the cash desk is small and I'm not sure they'd find space for me to leave half a dozen standard (floor) lamps with them. But I suppose I can ask them first.

Lampang however would be most of the way, not half way.

I have half a dozen standard/table lamps of which I want to have the switched changed or put in - they now have either no switch or an inconvenient type of switch. Anyone know of a shop (or conceivably just an electrician) who'll do this for me? I will of course take and collect the lamps - I live near Pr Royal College but am happy to go anywhere in town.

Gentlemen, please! The last thing I want is to provoke an altercation. Frankly my memory at the best of times is less than perfect and in recalling those panicky circumstances it is further compromised. So let's bring this thread to a close with my thanks to all contributors. 

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j4m35, I am not offended by the suggestion that my driving was at fault. Obviously it would have helped if I was at a lower speed but I know that I wasn't going at a crazy speed. I don't recall the details nor maybe understand the term precisely enough to say whether the car oversteered or understeered. I know that i found my self going into a counterclockwise spin. I would have braked, I would have taken my foot off the throttle - maybe I did both before as well as after the loss of control - so yes maybe that caused the spin. There could easily have been a spill on the road too. You're right that I didn't have all the space in the world - just two lanes going down in a bend with barriers on either side.

Anyway, once the car gets back from the garage I'm going to get me an awd mazda cx5 :)

PS, maybe the fact that my reactions are not wha they were was a factor - I'm in the my sixties :(

Thanks for clarifying, Warpspeed. I appreciate your taking this much time to do this. Hope I come across some open ground or wide track to practice. As you say the key is have mastered the technique and done it often before the emergency itself is upon you, so that the technique kicks in  almost automatically. As an aside your second method is close to Seedy's who said just turn the wheel and hit the throttle hard and steer/power out of it - you suggest waiting until the tyres grip and he says don't wait.

Anyway, thanks again.

Thanks all. There's already enough in the replies there to occupy me - not just in the reading/viewing.